December 2022 SSDI Payment Schedule

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) payments in December 2022 followed the standard monthly schedule based on your birth date. The Social Security Administration (SSA) spreads payments across the month so the system does not process all recipients on a single day. If you received SSDI in December 2022, your payment arrived on one of three dates: December 14, December 21, or December 28, depending on when you were born.

The payment date you received was determined by your birth date, not by when you filed for benefits or when your case was approved. This three-wave schedule has been in place for years and applies every month, including December. If you were unsure which date applied to you, you could check your Social Security account online or call 1-800-772-1213 to confirm.

December 2022 payments included a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) that took effect that month. The 2023 COLA of 8.7 percent was applied to December payments, meaning your December 2022 check was larger than your November 2022 check if you received SSDI.

Key Takeaways

  • SSDI payments in December 2022 were sent on December 14, 21, or 28 based on your birth date, not your process date.
  • The payment date you received in December 2022 is the same date you receive payments every month, so you can use it to plan your budget going forward.
  • December 2022 payments included an 8.7 percent cost-of-living adjustment that increased the amount you received compared to prior months.
  • You can confirm your specific payment date by logging into your my Social Security account online or calling the Social Security Administration directly.

How Birth Date Determines Your Payment Date

The SSA divides SSDI recipients into three groups based on birth date. If you were born between the 1st and 10th of any month, you received your December 2022 payment on December 14. If you were born between the 11th and 20th, your payment arrived on December 21. If you were born between the 21st and 31st, you received your payment on December 28.

This system has remained consistent for decades. Your payment date does not change month to month — you receive your SSDI on the same date every month. Once you know which date you received in December 2022, you know when to expect your payment for every month going forward, including January 2023 and beyond.

The only exception occurs if you also receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) in addition to SSDI. SSI recipients receive payments on the first of each month, regardless of birth date. If you receive both SSDI and SSI, you will receive two separate payments: your SSDI on your birth-date-based schedule and your SSI on the first of the month.

The 8.7 Percent Cost-of-Living Adjustment in December 2022

The December 2022 SSDI payment included the 2023 cost-of-living adjustment, which was 8.7 percent. This was the largest COLA increase in four decades. The adjustment was calculated by the SSA based on inflation data and was applied automatically to all SSDI payments starting in December 2022.

You did not need to do anything to receive the increase — it was added to your payment automatically. If you received SSDI in November 2022 and again in December 2022, you saw the difference between the two amounts. The December payment was 8.7 percent higher than the November payment (assuming your case had no other changes).

The 8.7 percent increase applied to your ongoing monthly payment amount going forward. This meant your January 2023 payment, February 2023 payment, and all future payments reflected the higher amount unless the SSA made a separate change to your case.

How to Verify Your December 2022 Payment Date

If you were not certain which date you received your December 2022 payment, you could verify it through your my Social Security account. This free online account shows your payment history, including the exact date each payment was sent. To access it, you visited ssa.gov, clicked "Create an account" or "Sign in," and logged in with your username and password.

Once logged in, you could navigate to "Benefit Payments" or "Payment History" to see a list of all payments sent to you, including the date and amount of your December 2022 payment. This record was also useful if you needed to dispute a missing or incorrect payment or if you were reconciling your bank deposits with your expected payment dates.

If you did not have an online account or preferred to speak with someone directly, you could call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213. Representatives were available Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eastern time. They could confirm your payment date and answer questions about your specific case.

What to Do If Your December 2022 Payment Did Not Arrive

If you expected an SSDI payment on your scheduled date in December 2022 but did not receive it, the first step was to check your bank account to confirm the deposit had not posted. Payments are typically deposited by 9 a.m. on the scheduled date, but delays of one business day occasionally occurred depending on your bank.

If more than one business day had passed and the payment had not arrived, you needed to contact the SSA. You could call 1-800-772-1213 or visit your local Social Security office in person. When you called, have your Social Security number ready and be prepared to describe when you expected the payment and what date you normally receive it.

The SSA could investigate whether the payment was sent, whether it was sent to the correct bank account, or whether there was a problem with your case that stopped the payment. If your bank account information had changed or if you had moved without notifying the SSA, that could cause a payment to be delayed or sent to the wrong place. Reporting the issue quickly helped the SSA locate the payment or reissue it.

Changes to Your Payment After December 2022

Your SSDI payment amount could change after December 2022 for several reasons. If you returned to work and earned above the substantial gainful activity (SGA) limit, your payments could be suspended or stopped. If you had a change in your living situation, such as moving in with someone else or entering an institution, your payment could be reduced. If you reached full retirement age, your SSDI payment would convert to a retirement benefit at the same amount.

You were required to report certain changes to the SSA within 10 days. These included changes to your address, phone number, bank account, employment status, living arrangement, or marital status. You could report changes online through your my Social Security account, by calling 1-800-772-1213, or by visiting a local Social Security office.

If you did not report a change and the SSA discovered it during a review, you could be overpaid. An overpayment means you received more money than you were may have access to to, and the SSA would ask you to repay it. Reporting changes promptly helped you avoid overpayments and kept your case accurate.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did my December 2022 SSDI payment arrive on a different date than I expected?

Your payment date is determined by your birth date, not by when you filed or when your case was approved. If you were born on the 1st through 10th of any month, you receive payments on the 14th. If born on the 11th through 20th, you receive them on the 21st. If born on the 21st through 31st, you receive them on the 28th. Check your birth date against these ranges to confirm your correct payment date.

Did everyone receive the 8.7 percent increase in December 2022?

All SSDI recipients received the 8.7 percent cost-of-living adjustment in December 2022 unless their case had a specific reason for exclusion, which is rare. The increase was applied automatically and did not require you to take any action. If you did not see an increase, contact the SSA to review your case.

What if I receive both SSDI and SSI?

You receive two separate payments: your SSDI on your birth-date-based schedule (the 14th, 21st, or 28th) and your SSI on the first of each month. Both payments may have been affected by the December 2022 COLA, but they arrive on different dates and are processed separately.

Can I change my payment date?

Your birth-date-based payment date cannot be changed. However, you can change how you receive your payment — for example, from direct deposit to a prepaid debit card — by contacting the SSA. You can also change which bank account your payment is deposited to through your my Social Security account or by calling 1-800-772-1213.

How do I know if my December 2022 payment included the COLA increase?

Compare your December 2022 payment amount to your November 2022 payment amount. Your December payment should be 8.7 percent higher. You can view your payment history and amounts in your my Social Security account online or by requesting a payment statement from the SSA.